It used to be that franchises cranked out spinoffs on the cheap to make a few bucks; low risk, small but safe return. Man, does “Ballerina: From the World of John Wick” blow that approach out of the water.
Aside from Ana de Armas likely being paid less than Keanu Reeves, no pennies are pinched, despite the fact that the previous spinoff – TV’s “The Continental: From the World of John Wick” – didn’t seem to wow many people.
A dance of character and action
Despite a new director (Len Wiseman, not well regarded but I’m an apologist for his 2012 “Total Recall”) taking the reins, “Ballerina” has the complete “Wick” flavor. No surprise since writer Shay Hatten returns from the last two entries.
“Ballerina: From the World of John Wick” (2025)
Director: Len Wiseman
Writers: Shay Hatten
Stars: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Houston, Ian McShane
His screenplay is a perfect blend of what we want and what we need. The arc of Eve (de Armas, after Victoria Comte plays her as a kid) is more robust and emotional than Wick’s. That means “Ballerina” starts somewhat slow (only by “Wick” standards) as we see Eve taken from her father – caught up in a shallowly defined (as is this franchise’s wont) crime-faction war – and trained in the brutal Russian ballet/assassin academy run by The Director (Anjelica Huston).
We saw The Director in 2019’s “Wick 3,” and it seems like Eve was in that movie too, but she wasn’t. We’ve just been hearing about the character forever; I feel like the “Wick” franchise snatched de Armas up before “James Bond” could spin her off. (Her role as Paloma in 2021’s “No Time to Die” made many salivate over her action star potential.) And “Ballerina” was, at least partially, made forever ago (by modern turnaround standards). Continental concierge Charon is in the film; Lance Reddick died in 2023.
De Armas is undeniably an action heroine now. I don’t have enough of an eagle eye to know when she hands it off to her double (that’s a credit to the technical side), but within the brawls and shoot-’em-ups, she’s even better than Reeves at facially showing reluctance and grim resolve. Her value as an actress further shines in the non-action moments and might be a reason for the increased emphasis on what is admittedly the same thing Wick goes through: questioning this game she’s so good at, and wondering if there’s a way out.
“Ballerina” stands out from “Wick” in other ways. Not really because Eve is a woman – the only difference there is she seems to kick opponents in the balls more often (which, oddly, seems to be the film’s best answer to the puzzle of how to “fight on your terms”) – but more so because she doesn’t only use a gun.
Weapons of mass entertainment
Like an R-rated parallel to “TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze” when the Turtles use everything but their core weapons to defeat the baddies, Eve uses everything from dinner plates to flamethrowers. Unfortunately, she doesn’t use sausage links or large jack-in-the-box dolls, but we can’t have it all.
We do get a lot in “Ballerina,” though – including wry comedy. It starts slow perhaps because of the relentless pace that soon kicks in. Delightfully, it ratchets up amid a scene where we might sigh and say “OK, this is a little too much the same as ‘John Wick.’ ” Eve is getting resupplied by an off-the-beaten-path weapons dealer named Frank (Abraham Popoola), our first narrative step toward the gorgeous Eastern European mountains of the final act. He’s introduced with a cleverly dark use of the “Can I be Frank?” joke.
Then that scene turns into something else and we’re treated to a deliciously over-the-top action tour of Frank’s backroom caches, and among the first new weapons Eve learns to use are grenades. Lots of grenades. It’s a blast. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
“Ballerina’s” final act is delicious, and any qualms I had about a confusing story are gone as Hatten and Wiseman whittle matters down to a “Rambo”-esque one-against-many revenge tale that expands Wickian lore with a whole ’nother faction. Plus a truly great guest appearance.
The first “Wick” proved it 11 years ago: Movies that play like video games can be fun, when done right. “Ballerina” does it oh so right.